"Glass Art in the Northwest" - Day 1

On Sunday, October 10th I traveled on Amtrak Business Class from Portland, Oregon to Seattle, Washington. I saw the red lights on the St. Johns Bridge spires when we crossed the Willamette River. We passed through a 1,200-feet tunnel as we left Kelso-Longview. A few miles past Centralia I saw acres of the mysterious Mima Mounds. I saw McNeil Island prison in the distance at Steilacoom. The train passed the tall, elegant Tacoma Narrows Suspension Bridges. We traveled under the Bridge of Glass which connects the old Union Station with the Museum of Glass. About ten minutes before reaching Seattle, we passed Boeing field. I arrived at King Street Station about noon. The interior of King Street Station is being renovated and restored to its original beauty.

Seattle was settled in 1852. It was named after a friendly Duwamish Indian Chief, Se’e-aahl (1786-1866). Most of the town burned to the ground in 1889 and determined citizens rebuilt it. I arrived at noon, got my checked baggage and rode the outside elevator to 4th where I caught at bus north to Union Street. I checked into the Red Lion Hotel on 5th Avenue. I settled into my Room 908 facing Elliott Bay. I walked over to Pike Place Market where I purchased a Starbucks bear and ate lunch at Starbucks and purchased some colorful chrysanthemums for $5.00 at a stall in the market. Back at the hotel I got a vase for the flowers. My roommate, Patricia, arrived around 3:00PM from Victoria via the Clipper.

I picked up my Elderhostel/Road Scholar Registration Packet at 4:00PM on the 5th floor. The Reception was held at 5:00 and Welcome by Carol Barton at 5:30. We ate a salmon dinner with chocolate brownies for dessert at 6:00. We introduced ourselves and saw a video at 7:00PM on glassmaking techniques. Back in the room Patricia and I could hear the television sound coming from the next room. I finally fell asleep at 11:00 with the television still blaring. It woke me at 4:00AM. I got dressed and went to the lobby with a novel. I reported the noise and set in the lobby reading until breakfast at 6:30. Evidently it was an elderly woman with hearing loss who fell asleep with the television on. Argh!